"How?"

"Shoot 'em full o' meat. They must 'a' traveled all night. Them
Injuns is tired an' hungry. Been three days on the trail. No time to
hunt! I'll hustle some wood together an' start a fire. You bring a
pair o' steers right here handy. We'll rip their hides off an' git the
reek o' vittles in the air soon as God'll let us."

"My wife can use a gun as well as I can and I'm afraid she won't go,"
said Irons.

"All right, let her hide somewhar nigh with the guns," said Solomon.
"The oldest gal kin go back with the young 'uns. Don't want no skirts
in sight when they git here."

Mrs. Irons hid in the shed with the loaded guns.

Ruth Irons and the children set out for the sugar bush. The steers
were quickly led up and slaughtered. As a hide ripper, Solomon was a
man of experience. The loins of one animal were cooking on turnspits
and a big pot of beef, onions and potatoes boiling over the fire when
Jack arrived with the Bones family.

"It smells good here," said Jack.

"Ayes! The air be gittin' the right scent on it," said Solomon, as he
was ripping the hide off the other steer. "I reckon it'll start the
sap in their mouths. You roll out the rum bar'l an' stave it in. Mis'
Bones knows how to shoot. Put her in the shed with yer mother an' the
guns, an' take her young 'uns to the sugar shanty 'cept Isr'el who's